Chapter XIX: Front Matter (19)

Country name:
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Cesko

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Prague
geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni
mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj,
Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj,
Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*,
Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj

Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia)

National holiday:
Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Constitution:
ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line
with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down
from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years;
parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two
inconclusive elections in January 2003
head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 4
September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 4 September
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28
February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003
were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February
2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round;
combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October
2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held
2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD
32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by
party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen
are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL
[Jan KASAL, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina
NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek
TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM
[Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD
[Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU
[Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman];
Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party
of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change
[Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]; SNK-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana
HYBASKOVA, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member),
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA,
MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] 257 022 000
FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue
isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of
the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy Czech Republic

Economy - overview:
The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the
post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in
2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany,
and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic
demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth
as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and
mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to
around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union
has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the
EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In
early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax
(VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the
intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006,
but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait
until after the next elections. Privatization of the state-owned
telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005.
Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in
the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should
strengthen output growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$204.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$109.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$20,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.4%
industry: 39.3%
services: 57.3% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
5.27 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 37.6%
services: 58.3% (2003)

Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2005)

Population below poverty line:
At risk of poverty after social transfers: 8%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27.3 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
26.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $48.16 billion
expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Industries:
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass,
armaments

Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2005)

Electricity - production:
84.33 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.1%
hydro: 2.9%
nuclear: 20%
other: 1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
57.12 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
25.49 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
9.776 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
15,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - consumption:
202,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
182,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:
15 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production:
133 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.623 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
1 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
9.8 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2003)

Current account balance:
$-2.496 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$78.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials
and fuel 9% (2003)

Exports - partners:
Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France
5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005)

Imports:
$76.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%,
chemicals 10% (2003)

Imports - partners:
Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%,
Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$29.36 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$49.14 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.8 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion
funds (2004-06)

Currency (code):
Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code:
CZK

Exchange rates:
koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003),
32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,217,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.776 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech
telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily;
growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly
vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber
systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;
trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2
Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Radios:
3,159,134 (December 2000)

Television broadcast stations:
150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions:
3,405,834 (December 2000)

Internet country code:
.cz

Internet hosts:
1,267,265 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
more than 300 (2000)

Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)

Transportation Czech Republic

Airports:
121 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 49 (2006)

Heliports:
2 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 9,572 km
standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 127,747 km
paved: 127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways:
664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers)
(2005)

Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Military Czech Republic

Military branches:
Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes
air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going
transformation of military service into a fully professional,
all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in
January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,414,728
females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,996,631
females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 66,583
females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.17 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.81% FY05

Transnational Issues Czech Republic

Disputes - international:
in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of
Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic
confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans
seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their
expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian
anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian
border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in
the Czech Republic

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit
point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of
synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money
laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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@Denmark

Introduction Denmark

Background:
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European
power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is
participating in the general political and economic integration of
Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973.
However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the
European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic
and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues
concerning certain justice and home affairs.

Geography Denmark

Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a
peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major
islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Geographic coordinates:
56 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 43,094 sq km
land: 42,394 sq km
water: 700 sq km
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest
of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major
islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and
Greenland

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 68 km
border countries: Germany 68 km

Coastline:
7,314 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Terrain:
low and flat to gently rolling plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel
and sand

Land use:
arable land: 52.59%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 47.22% (2005)

Irrigated land:
4,490 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of
Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are
protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions;
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and
surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and
North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater
Copenhagen

People Denmark

Population:
5,450,661 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.7% (male 523,257/female 496,697)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,815,240/female 1,787,406)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 355,656/female 472,405) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.8 years
male: 38.9 years
female: 40.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.33% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
11.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.79 years
male: 75.49 years
female: 80.22 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dane(s)
adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups:
Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali

Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%,
Muslim 2%

Languages:
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small
minority)
note: English is the predominant second language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

Government Denmark

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark
local short form: Danmark

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
name: Copenhagen
geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2
boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm,
Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn
(Copenhagen)*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde,
Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg
note: as a result of an extensive 2005 local government reform, with
2006 being a transition year, 275 municipalities will be merged to
99 by 1 January 2007, and the 14 counties will be reorganized into
five regions

Independence:
first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became
a constitutional monarchy

National holiday:
none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally
viewed as the National Day

Constitution:
5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of
5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief
of state

Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir
Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26
May 1968)
head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27
November 2001)
cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2
from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 29%,
Social Democrats 25.9%, Danish People's Party 13.2%, Conservative
Party 10.3%, Social Liberal Party 9.2%, Socialist People's Party 6%,
Unity List 3.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 52, Social Democrats
47, Danish People's Party 24, Conservative Party 18, Social Liberal
Party 17, Socialist People's Party 11, Unity List 6; note - does not
include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe
Islands

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democrats (was Christian People's Party) [Bodil KORNBEK];
Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party)
[Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal
Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes
Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers'
Party) [collective leadership]; Social Democratic Party [Helle
THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the
Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman];
Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NC,
NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU
(observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00
FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23

Flag description:
red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the
vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that
design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently
adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway,
and Sweden

Economy Denmark

Economy - overview:
This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech
agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry,
extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards,
a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is
a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance
of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the
bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The
government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the
economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase
(a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary
Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members
in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the
euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn
accelerated through 2005. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare
benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish
people enjoy living standards topped by no other nation. A major
long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to
retirees.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$189.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$243.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$34,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 24.6%
services: 73.5% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
2.9 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 21%
services: 76% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.7% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
23.2 (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $144 billion
expenditures: $135 billion; including capital expenditures of $4.6
billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
37% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish

Industries:
iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing,
machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing,
electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products,
shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical
equipment

Industrial production growth rate:
1.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
43.32 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 82.7%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 17.3% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
31.68 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
15.6 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
7 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
376,900 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
188,300 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
332,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
195,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.23 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
7.965 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
5.173 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
73.51 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$7.753 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$84.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products,
fish, chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills

Exports - partners:
Germany 17.5%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.8%, US 6.4%, France 5.5%,
Netherlands 5.3%, Norway 5.1% (2005)

Imports:
$74.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for
industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Germany 20.5%, Sweden 13.8%, Norway 6.6%, Netherlands 6.6%, UK 6%,
China 4.7%, France 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$34.03 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$352.9 billion (30 June 2005)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $2 billion (2004)

Currency (code):
Danish krone (DKK)

Currency code:
DKK

Exchange rates:
Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877
(2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Denmark

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.35 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.469 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form
trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables
linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth
stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat
(Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station
and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
6.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
3.121 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.dk

Internet hosts:
2,415,530 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
13 (2000)

Internet users:
3,762,500 (2005)

Transportation Denmark

Airports:
92 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 64
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 61 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 12 km; gas 3,931 km; oil 626 km; oil/gas/water 2 km
(2006)

Railways:
total: 2,673 km
standard gauge: 2,673 km 1.435-m gauge (601 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 72,257 km
paved: 72,257 km (including 1,032 km of expressways) (2005)

Waterways:
400 km (2001)

Merchant marine:
total: 293 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,986,735 GRT/9,936,431 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 63, chemical tanker 48, container 86,
liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo
40, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8,
specialized tanker 4
foreign-owned: 25 (Canada 1, Germany 13, Greece 5, Greenland 1,
Norway 3, Sweden 1, UK 1)
registered in other countries: 409 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Bahamas
59, Belgium 4, Cayman Islands 5, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Estonia 2,
France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Gibraltar 1, Hong
Kong 6, Isle of Man 53, North Korea 1, Liberia 8, Lithuania 10,
Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 2, Netherlands 9, Netherlands
Antilles 1, Norway 32, Panama 34, Portugal 4, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 14, Singapore 52, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 4, UK
46, US 24, Vanuatu 6, Venezuela 3, Vietnam 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted,
Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne

Military Denmark

Military branches:
Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet,
Tactical Air Command (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service;
conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from four to
12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to
mobilization units following completion of their conscript service;
women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,175,108
females age 18-49: 1,150,627 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 955,168
females age 18-49: 935,643 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 31,317
females age 18-49: 29,558 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3,271.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2004)

Transnational Issues Denmark

Disputes - international:
Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland,
the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands'
continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study
proposals for full independence; uncontested sovereignty dispute
with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between
Ellesmere Island and Greenland

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@Dhekelia

Introduction Dhekelia

Background:
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the
independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and
jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign
Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base
Area.

Geography Dhekelia

Location:
on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta

Geographic coordinates:
34 59 N, 33 45 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 130.8 sq km
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves

Area - comparative:
about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: NA; note - boundary with Cyprus is being resurveyed

Coastline:
27.5 km

Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Environment - current issues:
netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and
autumn

Geography - note:
British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small
off-post sites scattered across Cyprus

People Dhekelia

Population:
no indigenous personnel
note: approximately 2,200 military personnel are on the base; there
are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military
personnel or civilian staff on both the bases of Akrotiri and
Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there

Languages:
English, Greek

Government Dhekelia

Country name:
conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Dhekelia

Dependency status:
overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is
also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Capital:
name: Episkopi Cantonment; located in Akrotiri
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Constitution:
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council
1960, effective 16 August 1960

Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY
(since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of
Defence
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is
appointed by the monarch

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:
the flag of the UK is used

Economy Dhekelia

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military
and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured
goods must be imported.

Industries:
none

Communications Dhekelia

Radio broadcast stations:
FM 1 (located in Akrotiri)
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1
and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)

Television broadcast stations:
British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel
satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)

Military Dhekelia

Military - note:
includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by
a roadway

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@Djibouti

Introduction Djibouti

Background:
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in
1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party
state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among
the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in
2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels
and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first
multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of
Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in
2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth
of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for
goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present
leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a
significant military presence in the country, but is also developing
stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base
in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on
terrorism.

Geography Djibouti

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between
Eritrea and Somalia

Geographic coordinates:
11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline:
314 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
desert; torrid, dry

Terrain:
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Natural resources:
geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt,
diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the
Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land;
desertification; endangered species

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to
Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly
wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

People Djibouti

Population:
486,530 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.3% (male 105,760/female 105,068)
15-64 years: 53.3% (male 135,119/female 124,367)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,183/female 8,033) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 17.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.02% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.17 years
male: 41.86 years
female: 44.52 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
690 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian

Ethnic groups:
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%

Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 78%
female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

Government Djibouti

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti
local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Djibouti
geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil,
Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah

Independence:
27 June 1977 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Constitution:
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Legal system:
based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and
Islamic law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4
March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next
to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent
of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats;
members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008)
election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats -
RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic
Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development
Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de
l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress
Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples
Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican
Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for
Democracy and Justice or UDJ

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD,
PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition
coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with
a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red
five-pointed star in the center

Economy Djibouti

Economy - overview:
The economy is based on service activities connected with the
country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in
northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital
city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall
limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must
be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for
the region and an international transshipment and refueling center.
Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation
is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help
support its balance of payments and to finance development projects.
An unemployment rate of at least 50% continues to be a major
problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of
the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value
of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of
payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the
last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high
population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced
with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen
in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to
meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$619 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$702 million

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.9%
industry: 22.5%
services: 59.6% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
282,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Unemployment rate:
50% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Industries:
construction, agricultural processing, salt

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production:
240 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
223.2 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Exports:
$250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners:
Somalia 55.2%, Yemen 19.5%, Ethiopia 17.9% (2005)

Imports:
$987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 21.7%, India 18.5%, China 10%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France
4.5%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005)

Debt - external:
$394 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$64.1 million (2004)

Currency (code):
Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code:
DJF

Exchange rates:
Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004),
177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Djibouti

Telephones - main lines in use:
11,100 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
34,500 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti
are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to
outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez,
Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional
microwave radio relay telephone network

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
28,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dj

Internet hosts:
1,540 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
9,000 (2005)

Transportation Djibouti

Airports:
13 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Railways:
total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005)

Roadways:
total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Djibouti

Military Djibouti

Military branches:
Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 95,328
females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 46,020
females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$29.05 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Djibouti

Disputes - international:
Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with
"Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to
various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await
repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and destination
country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation and possibly forced labor; small numbers are trafficked
from Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic migrants
from these countries also fall victim to trafficking upon reaching
Djibouti City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and
children from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti to
Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in forced labor or
sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not fully comply with
the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however,
it is making significant efforts to do so based partly on the
government's commitments to undertake future action

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@Dominica

Introduction Dominica

Background:
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by
Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs.
France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the
island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence,
Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical
administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the
first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office
for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are
the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Geography Dominica

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
148 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain:
rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 6.67%
permanent crops: 21.33%
other: 72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be
expected during the late summer months

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its
spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected
by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the
Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and
include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in
the world

People Dominica

Population:
68,910 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,084/female 8,885)
15-64 years: 66% (male 23,419/female 22,079)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,186/female 3,257) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.1 years
male: 29.8 years
female: 30.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.08% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
15.27 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-9.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.87 years
male: 71.95 years
female: 77.93 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.94 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:
black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2%

Languages:
English (official), French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (2003 est.)

Government Dominica

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Roseau
geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,
Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul,
Saint Peter

Independence:
3 November 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Constitution:
3 November 1978

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October
2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8
January 2004); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister
Pierre CHARLES
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held
October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21
elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010);
note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five
years of the last election, but technically it is five years from
the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace
period
election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.07%, UWP 43.6%,
DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal
and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges
must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary
Jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor
Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or
UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Judith Anne ROLLE, Third Secretary
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to
Barbados is accredited to Dominica

Flag description:
green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical
part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal
part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center
of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10
green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent
the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

Economy Dominica

Economy - overview:
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas,
and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and
international economic developments. Production of bananas dropped
precipitously in 2003, a major reason for the 1% decline in GDP.
Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote
Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism
industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged
coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international
airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the
economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls,
privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to
address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order
to diversify the island's production base, the government is
attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning
to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$384 million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$279 million

GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 32.8%
services: 49.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
25,000 (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 32%
services: 28%

Unemployment rate:
23% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
30% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.1% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and
fishery potential not exploited

Industries:
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Industrial production growth rate:
-10% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
69.98 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 47.1%
hydro: 52.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
65.09 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
800 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Exports:
$74 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Exports - partners:
UK 26.2%, Jamaica 9.8%, South Korea 8.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.6%,
Guyana 7.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2005)

Imports:
$234 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 25.3%, China 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, South Korea 7.1%,
Japan 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2005)

Debt - external:
$213 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$29.2 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Dominica

Telephones - main lines in use:
21,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
41,800 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF
radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF
radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
46,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2004)

Televisions:
6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dm

Internet hosts:
263 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
20,500 (2005)

Transportation Dominica

Airports:
2 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 780 km
paved: 393 km
unpaved: 387 km (1999)